woldman



March 31, 1964 E. R. WOLDMAN 3,

' SANITARY APPLIANCE Filed June 5, 1961 INV EN TOR.

KNEY United States Patent 3,1263% SANITARY APPLIANCE Elinore R. Vloldman, 13392 Corrnere Ave, (:leveland, Ohio Filed Jinn-e 5, 1961, Ser. No. 114,953 6 Claims. (Ql. 123-237) This invention relates to a sanitary pad and to a holder for the same.

Some of the objections to pads which are currently commercially available are the inability to readily dispose of the same by flushing in a toilet, due to the bulkiness of the material. Such pads are not resilient enough and have a tendency to collapse into rope-like form causing discomfort and lessening of protection.

An object of the present invention is to make a sanitary appliance embodying a holder and pad which cooperates to elfect a construction which is simple, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and is adapted readily for marketing in vending machines.

Other objects include the production of a disposable pad which is smaller and thinner than those currently available and which require no waterproof material in the construction thereof.

Additional objects are to provide a construction wherein pads may be used singly or in multiple and yet may be readily disposable by flushing in toilets. The construction includes a resilient feature which permits the pad to be compressed when worn yet to avoid collapse when in use. Such resilient construction operates to hold the pad from slipping forwardly or backwardly.

A further object is to provide a pad which may be readily removed from the holder without the necessity for touching the pad.

Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by utilizing a moisture-proof holder which is adapted to receive one or more moisture-absorbent pads therein, and which is provided with extensions for attachment to any suitable belt type of support. The holder is provided with resilient strips of material, such as sponge rubber, at each end of the cavity in which the pad is positioned, and these operate not only to limit the movement of the pad with reference to the holder but also to impart resiliency to the assembly and to prevent the pad from collapsing when in use. The holder is also provided with an ejecting strip which extends transversely of the holder and is positioned beneath the pad and the bottom of the cavity in which the pad is placed. One end of the strip is fastened to the holder, while the other end is accessible above the pad, whereby the strip may be readily lifted, thus ejecting the pad from the holder without the necessity for touching it. A new pad of relatively small size may be then inserted in the holder.

Referring now tothe drawings,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a holder embodying the present invention, but without a pad therein;

PEG. 2 is a side elevation of the holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a holder having a plurality of pads therein;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are transverse sections taken on correspondingly numbered lines in FIG. 3 but on a scale larger than that of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on a plane indicated by the line 66 in FIG. 2 but on a scale larger than that of FIG. 2.

The sanitary appliance of the present invention embodies a holder of flexible waterproof material such, for example, as polyethylene. The holder has side walls ill and ill, a bottom 12. and end walls 15 and 16 which form an upwardly facing cavity in which one or more pads 3,126,888 Patented -Mar. 31, 1964 243 are adapted to be placed. Beyond the end walls, the holder has extensions 25 and 26 which constitute continuations of the side walls and bottom and which terminate in tapes 27 and 28 respectively, for attachment in the usual way to a supporting belt (not shown). Each tape extends throughout the length of the holder along one side thereof and is fastened, as by stitching, thereto.

To hold a pad within the cavity I have shown bridging strips 3@ and 31 which are narrow strips of waterproof material that are permanently attached, as at 32 and 33, to the upper portions of the side walls Ill) and 11, respectively. The pad or pads are fitted into the cavity by inserting the ends under the bridging strips as shown in FIG. 3. The ends of the pad are closely adjacent the end walls 15 and 16 of the cavity, whereby the pad is restrained against movement with respect to the holder.

To provide resiliency in the assembly, the end walls 15 and 16 preferably comprise strips of resilient material, such as sponge rubber, which may be enclosed within the same type of waterproof material of which the holder is made. The resilient strips are indicated at 35 and 35, respectively, while the enclosing water proof material therefor is indicated at 37 and 38, respectively. The ends of the covering material are securely fastened to the side walls of the holder whereby the pad or pads therein are maintained in proper position at all times.

In FIG. 2 the holder is shown in more or less collapsed position and in such case, as is shown in FIG. 6, the side walls are collapsed against the bottom of the holder, whereby the holder can be readily folded and can occupy a relatively small space within a purse. As may be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the side walls may be expanded to accommodate a plurality of pads which, in this illustration, are shown as three in number indicated at 40, 41 and 42, respectively. The number used will depend upon the extent of absorption required. In any case the side walls automatically conform to the thickness of pad or pads in use, while the resiliency of the strips 35 and 36 maintain the pad and holder in extended position, yet allow compressibility when in use.

To eject a pad or pads, without the necessity for touching the same, I provide a strip 45 of waterproof material which may be the same as that used for the holder, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5. The strip extends transversely of the cavity and is disposed adjacent the bottom thereof in position to receive the pad thereon. One end 416 of the strip is securely fastened to one side wall 10, while the other end 47 projects above the pad adjacent the other side wall 11 and provides a finger grip portion by means of which the pad may be lifted out of the holder.

The pad which is used with the present invention need be only about 2 /2 inches wide, 5 inches long and A of an inch thick. Pads which are currently available are approximately of an inch thick and are much longer and wider. Consequently the pads of the present invention may be readily disposable in a toilet without danger of clogging the same. The holder if soiled may be easily washed and immediately dried for indefinite re-use. The holder thus eliminates the need for bulky pads and may have a bellows type of side wall construction, which automatically adjusts to one, two or three pads. The construction utilized enables one pad to be held as snugly as three.

Other advantages of the present invention are the fact that the pads and holder are simple in construction and are sufficiently small and thin as to be readily carried in a purse. Moreover, the pads and holder may be dispensed readily in vending machines. The holder prevents the possibility of the escape of any material yet is sufiiciently resilient to be comfortable in use.

I claim:

1. A sanitary appliance comprising a holder of moisture-proof material having a bottom and sides defining a cavity opening upwardly therein, said cavity being adapted to receive a moisture-absorbent pad therein, a transversely extending block of resilient material carried by the holder at each end of the cavity, said blocks operating to urge the holder into expanded position and also operating to limit movement of the pad within the holder lengthwise of the cavity, said sides being extensible and having longitudinally extending flanges for engaging the top of a pad within the cavity, a bridging strip attached to the respective sides and spaced from an end wall and operating to engage the top of a pad within the cavity and to position it therein, said holder having an extension on each end thereof adapted for attachment to a support.

2. A sanitary appliance according to claim 1, wherein a strip extends across the cavity adjacent the bottom of the holder adapted to receive a pad thereon, said strip having one end thereof attached to one of the side walls and the other end terminating adjacent the opposite side wall of the holder and providing a finger grip portion, by means of which a pad may be lifted out of the holder.

3. A sanitary appliance according to claim 2, wherein there are two bridging strips attached to the respective side walls of the holder, said strips being spaced inwardly of the resilient members and cooperating therewith to position a pad within the cavity.

4. A sanitary appliance comprising a holder of moisture-proof material having a bottom and sides defining a cavity, opening upwardly therein and adapted for receiving one or a plurality of pads therein, said sides being of a collapsible bellows construction operating to automatically adjust themselves to grip and retain one or a plurality of pads in normal operating position within the cavity, said holder having an extension on each end thereof adapted for attachment to a support, and resilient strips extending transversely at each end of the cavity, said strips defining respective end walls in said cavity, said strips being of a thickness corresponding substantially to the normal operating depth of the cavity and operating to limit movement of a pad within the holder lengthwise of the cavity.

5. A sanitary appliance comprising a holder of moisture-proof material having a bottom, side walls and extensible end walls defining a cavity opening upwardly therein, said cavity being adapted to receive one or a plurality of moisture-absorbent pads therein, said side walls being of a flexible construction and cooperating with said extensible end walls to automatically adjust the cavity for engageably retaining therein one or a plurality of pads in the normal operating condition, said extensible end walls comprising strips of resilient material extending transversely of the cavity at each end thereof, said strips being of a thickness suflicient to automatically expand and contract the holder in the normal operating condition and to limit lengthwise movement of one or a plurality of pads within the cavity.

6. A sanitary appliance comprising a holder of moisture-proof material having a bottom and sides defining a cavity opening upwardly therein and adapted for receiving one or more pads therein, said sides being flexible and operating automatically to adjust themselves to grip and retain one or a plurality of pads in normal operating position within the cavity, a pad ejecting strip attached at one end thereof to one side of the holder and extending across the cavity and terminating adjacent the other side of the holder for lifting a pad from the holder, and said holder having an extension on each end thereof adapted for attachment to a support,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,122 Greenwald July 3, 1906 1,772,969 Takeuchi Aug. 12, 1920 2,074,936 Paterson Mar. 23, 1937 2,840,078 Smith June 24, 1958 3,071,138 Garcia Ian. 1, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 169,087 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1921 

1. A SANITARY APPLIANCE COMPRISING A HOLDER OF MOISTURE-PROOF MATERIAL HAVING A BOTTOM AND SIDES DEFINING A CAVITY OPENING UPWARDLY THEREIN, SAID CAVITY BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A MOISTURE-ABSORBENT PAD THEREIN, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING BLOCK OF RESILIENT MATERIAL CARRIED BY THE HOLDER AT EACH END OF THE CAVITY, SAID BLOCKS OPERATING TO URGE THE HOLDER INTO EXPANDED POSITION AND ALSO OPERATING TO LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE PAD WITHIN THE HOLDER LENGTHWISE OF THE CAVITY, SAID SIDES BEING EXTENSIBLE AND HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FLANGES FOR ENGAGING THE TOP OF A PAD WITHIN THE CAVITY, A BRIDGING STRIP ATTACHED TO THE RESPECTIVE SIDES AND SPACED FROM AN END WALL AND OPERATING TO ENGAGE THE TOP OF A PAD WITHIN THE CAVITY AND TO POSITION IT THEREIN, SAID HOLDER HAVING AN EXTENSION ON EACH END THEREOF ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO A SUPPORT. 